Artwork

Text, Folio 139 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)

Text, Folio 139 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is an unspecified painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Unknown. It dates from 14 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

The object is a narrow wooden block, measuring roughly the size of a long ruler, whose surface is entirely covered with finely incised characters arranged in orderly rows. It forms a single page—recto of folio 139—from a manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajñāpāramitā, the “Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines.”

Subject & Meaning

The carved text presents a portion of the Buddhist Mahāyāna sutra that expounds the concept of emptiness and the perfection of wisdom. As a fragment of a larger scriptural collection, it reflects the devotional and scholarly use of the sutra in monastic contexts, serving as a vehicle for study and recitation.

Technique & Style

Each character is cut with a sharp tool into the wood, creating a raised relief that could be inked and pressed onto paper. The precision of the incisions demonstrates a high level of craftsmanship typical of East Asian woodblock printing, a method that predates movable type in Europe and allowed for the reproducible transmission of sacred texts.

History & Provenance

The block originates from a manuscript tradition that circulated throughout East Asia during the medieval period. Though the exact date and place of production are not specified, its association with the Ashtasahasrika Prajñāpāramitā situates it within the broader historical spread of Buddhist literature. The piece is presently held by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Context

Woodblock printing was a principal means of reproducing religious and literary works in China, Korea, and Japan from the Tang dynasty onward. This block exemplifies the technology’s role in disseminating Buddhist doctrine, enabling monasteries to produce multiple copies of key sutras for instruction and ritual.